Sebnee le Wahdee
by Kelly Mullins
Summary: What's the worst mistake you've ever made in your life?


  
Title: Sebnee le Wahdee!   
Author: Kelly Mullins   
E-mail: musicgrl72@excelonline.com   
website:http://www.dreamwater.com/musicgrl72   
The song is @   
http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/kfic/Sometimes_It_Hurts.wma   
Rating: M or R depending on where you're from.   
Spoilers: Mostly general knowledge of the show   
Archive: Tell me where it's going so I can visit.:-)   
Keywords: Sam/Jack romance, serious angst   
Summary: What's the worst mistake you've ever made in your life?   
"When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it."  
Authors' note: All Arabic in here is spelled phonetically because the Arabic language is written so differently from English it would be nearly impossible for me to type both. This is my first attempt at an actual serious story, true I've killed off people before but never have I actually had my characters depressed over it, no I'm not killing off anybody, just giving them all a good dose of depression. Also this is my first semi-song fic! The wonderful song in question is Sometimes It Hurts by Stabbing Westward.   
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. "Fan fiction is for people with original ideas just not original characters."   
  
Sebnee le Wahdee!   
By. Kelly Mullins   
  
1SAM:   
I'm unsure how to act, what to say. I'm confused about decorum in this situation, I have no protocol to adhere to and I'm lost without those safety nets. I'm sure by now you're sitting there asking yourself- what is she talking about? Well I'm talking about life! My life and the mockery I've made of it. I've messed up everything I ever had, and ever really wanted...before. Before what? You ask, well I'm about to get to that. Before I did something incredibly stupid, some thing that made me give up the job I've always wanted to come live with my brother and his family until I've survived this utter funk I've managed to get myself in. I'm four months pregnant and the only complaint I have physically is the morning sickness that lasts all day. All I do is go to my new exciting (Yes I'm being sarcastic) job at the local university, clean my brother's house (with his two sons there's a whole lot to clean), and of course my personal favourite...sleep! I of course go shopping and stuff around town but I don't like to be seen much. I know I haven't gained very much weight, in fact my doctor says I'm a bit underweight, and I'm not really showing much yet, especially with the clothes I wear, I just feel strange around people like they see me and automatically know about my huge mistake and I even feel weird around my brother and his family.   
I guess I'd better explain what happened (other than the obvious) and how am I, Major Samantha Carter, Ph.D. (well I used to be), going to raise a child? Well I'm not 100% positive of what happened, even now after running the course of events over and over again in my head. It all started about eight months ago... SG-1 was off world; Daniel and Teal'c went west, Jack and I headed east. We'd gone for quite a while never seeing an animal or person... the place seemed eerily silent, only interrupted by our footsteps, obviously the terra-forming of this particular planet hadn't gone so well because all of the vegetation seemed to be in an advanced state of decay.   
Well to make a long story short, some how we ended up talking about our alternate selves, just innocently, something to talk about. The conversation slowly gravitated towards how in the two realities we had heard about we were 'involved' and of course my scientific mind started hypothesising, out loud of course, the probabilities of our romantic involvement in other realities. We both seemed to reach that inevitable moment in the conversation where we both just blurted out that we would both like to be 'involved' with one another, and we kissed, and it was nice.   
I'm glad that I'm alone because the smile plastered on my face right now might scare anyone who's been around me for the last two and a half months, considering it's the first real one in that time.   
Well we were quite enjoying ourselves when Daniel, master of bad timing, interrupted us over the radio. We agreed to meet at the 'gate and Jack and I both started to walk guiltily back. I will not go into great detail about the walk back because it is almost as disturbing to me as the events that followed it. On said walk we both decided albeit reluctantly that we shouldn't act any further on our feelings... you know, the team dynamic and all that shit; we both agreed to keep our feelings to ourselves but of course no matter how much we told ourselves that there was nothing there for us we would never believe it. So that's how it started... the beginning of the end some would say, considering the downward spiral I'm on now, I truly believe it.   
Yes I know that babies don't come from kissing, I believe they covered that somewhere in my education, no my current situation came about later. Jack and I continued on as friends and co-workers for a little over a month until after a particularly tiring mission I had the rounds of driving those of the members of SG-1 who lived off base home, I had dropped off Daniel and once we'd gotten to Jack's he stated.   
"Carter, you'd better come in and get some coffee, 'cause I doubt you'll make it all the way across town." Of course I went in, my eyes were closing of their own volition. So we had coffee and somehow one thing led to another and we ended up making love, after which we both promptly fell asleep and did not awaken until noon the next day. After that night we decided there was no use in fighting our feelings for each other, because things had already gotten out of hand. Not that either of us gave up on the military regulations though, we did set rules such as down time only and under no circumstances were Daniel and Teal'c to be let in on our business.   
Every thing was going okay until... until we had a fight, the stupidest fight imaginable, I walked into Jack's house one night, told him he drinks too much and soon World War III had broken out in Jack's kitchen, we were both yelling, saying things that had nothing to do with the alcoholic beverage in question, it was as if my comment had opened the flood gates for the venting of the stress we'd both been under hiding everything from everyone. In the midst of the nasty, obscene things we were saying to each other neither noticed Teal'c and Daniel enter; well Teal'c grabbed Jack and actually hit him to get him to shut up, while I on the other hand decided to hit Daniel, hard. I ran out of the house and ended up at a hotel.   
That next day while I sat gloomily in my hotel room I reflected on the events of the previous day wondering how I had allowed one single day to turn my entire life upside down... I had decided to go to the base that morning determined to work all day on the reactor, but of course that morning I had to accept the possibility that I could be pregnant, despite the fact that Jack's and my motto had been 'There's no such thing as too much protection', since Jolinar it has not been unusual for me to be very late or miss an entire period, so I hadn't been worried but two months and five days is a whole lot later than it's ever been, so of course, being the ever practical woman I am, I went to the drugstore on the way to the mountain and bought two pregnancy tests. Of course standing in the stall at the base had been killer on my nerves waiting for the results, both of which had been positive.   
"Damn!" I exclaimed.   
"Um excuse me, are you okay?" Some unknown woman asked.   
"Yeah, thanks." I muttered and then I beat it back to my lab where I spent the next four hours devising a plan. At the end of those four hours I went to Hammond and resigned from the Air Force, I didn't say anything to anyone else, and of course I didn't give Hammond a reason. I had gone home that night, attempting to find the best way to break all of the news to Jack and when I saw all of the alcohol I got mad, probably because I know it is one of the worst things you can drink if you're pregnant and I had drunk beer almost every night, well I took every thing out on Jack, and then on Daniel, of course I never got around to mentioning anything about the baby or my quitting to any of my former team.   
My plans had only been minorly thwarted by the big blow up with Jack, I had already resigned my commission and so then with my family of a team and my lover mad at me I came half way across the country and here I am living with my brother and working at the local university.   
  
2JACK:   
I am a selfish old bastard. I had one wonderful thing going for me and that was Sam, she's been gone for two months now and I think the hole in my heart is only getting bigger.   
At work I try to act normal, it hasn't worked a single day yet. Usually I end up yelling at Sam's replacement Captain Lucy Guy PhD, or Daniel mostly. Yeah I feel like shit for doing it, but I have no other way to deal with these things that are following me around and eating away at my soul since the day Sam left. Now all I do is sit around my house listening to the angriest most depressing music I own and drinking every ounce of alcohol I can find. Nowadays I'm either at work of drunk off my ass.   
Hammond yelled at me yesterday, I yelled back, I'm quite surprised I didn't get reprimanded for insubordination, not that it would have mattered to me anyway. I would love to go up against a couple hundred Jaffa, hell make it a couple thousand and I'd be thrilled. Well according to Hammond, my outburst yesterday has gotten SG-1 two days of leave and that we'd all better come back in full working order, yeah well, I went to the liquor store on my way home from the base, I'm definitely set for the next two days.   
There's a knock on my front door, I know who it is and I'm really not in the mood.   
"Go away Daniel!" I yell, the door opens, I should have locked it.   
"Sorry Jack, you're going to have to talk sometime to someone and I really don't think you want to have that time to be your court-martial."   
"Go away Daniel, can't you see I'm on vacation here?" I press play on the remote to my CD player (a gift from Sam) and sound fills the room at an almost deafening volume.   
Six o'clock in the morning, My head is ready to explode, I can't believe I made it home alive, I don't remember where I went Or what I was drinking And now it's made me sick And I'm not denying That I get this way When I try to get over you I get this way When I try to get over you Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love   
Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love   
"So that's what this is all about!" Daniel exclaims. I open my eyes, which have been closed since the song began.   
"These last few weeks, you've been acting out because Sam left, you were in love with her, weren't you?"   
"Gee Danny, ya think?" I close my eyes again, this conversation can't lead anywhere I want it to go, so I just absorb the music.   
I tried so hard to hate you But it only makes it all worse I only end up hating myself And as my hatred grows So do the lies It's hard to face the truth sometimes   
God I feel so useless, God I hate myself When I try to get over you I hate myself Will I ever get over you   
"You can't blame yourself for her leaving you know, you couldn't have stopped her."   
"This is all my fault I should have gone after her." I'm starting to wallow in self pity...gee this is nice.   
"Do you really think this is all about that fight? I don't really know what started it, but from what I heard of it you both have unresolved issues with the SGC."   
"Daniel, it was just a fight, that's all it was, 'friends' have them all the time."   
"Jack, didn't you understand what Hammond told us the day after that 'fight'? Sam had resigned early that afternoon, she had already made up her mind that she was leaving." I feel like I've been hit, that one last wound, the mortal would you could say, I had thought Sam was happy.   
That entire day stands out in my mind as one of the most wonderful and obviously one of the worst days of my entire life- we'd made love before she left for the base, she was her usual happy self before, during, and after, then she had kissed me as she left the house. She had gone straight into the kitchen when she returned, I had assumed for a drink, that was when all hell broke loose. Nothing really sunk in until General Hammond announced that 'Major Carter' had resigned, I think that was the moment my world came crashing down around me.   
Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love.   
"So tell me then Daniel, why did she leave?"   
"Sam has been working on the 'Stargate Project' since before it even existed, that was long before we even went to Abydos, and in all of that time do you ever remember Sam being gone more than one day for anything more than an illness?"   
"No. So you're saying that Sam cracked under the pressure of not having a vacation? Come on Daniel, she's a soldier, Sam could probably of survived a nuclear bomb blast."   
"All I'm saying is that she has never gone on a date the entire time I've known her, and she spends all of her time with our pathetic heap of losers instead of having the normal friends she should have, you know, the ones who don't know about the aliens and humans on other planets?"   
"Sam was happy." I say and lay back attempting to hide my face from the waning light of the sun, macho men, warrior types are not supposed to cry.   
And after all this time you'd think I'd understand the way you feel   
But no I only think about myself And it's driving you away I always knew it would one day Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love Sometimes it hurts So much to lose the one you love.   
"I really hope you're right, because I would feel really bad if we had, figuratively of course, left a member of SG-1 behind." The song has ended and as the next begins I click off the player."   
"Sam left because of me, it wasn't your or Teal'c's fault. I just couldn't give Sam what she deserved, and I was a fool for ever believing that I could." I grab the nearest bottle and take a large swig...umm vodka.   
"Will you please leave my house, now, Dr. Jackson." He storms out and slams the door; I finish the vodka and toss the bottle to the floor.   
  
3DANIEL:   
I left Jack and I know I shouldn't have, but the way he talks about Sam as if she abandoned just him and not the rest of us, he seems blind to how SG-1 is suffering. Captain Guy despises Jack, and I'm sure Teal'c isn't going out of his way to spend time with him, obviously before Hammond sent SG-1 off on our merry leave, which I'm sure is going to turn into a suspension, we were not a happy productive team.   
I miss Sam just as much as Jack does, but what I understand that Jack doesn't is that Sam's reasons must have been pretty damn good because of everything she left behind.   
Right now I'm headed for the base, the second I left Jack I got the incredible urge to see Dr. Janet Fraiser, my new best friend.   
"Janet!" I yell as I enter the infirmary, it's almost 2130 and there's hardly nobody around, I guess with SG-1 safely off-duty there's no reason for everyone to be ready to receive severe injuries.   
"Daniel, what's up? I was just about to head home."   
"I'm okay, but you were right about Jack and the alcohol, his place is littered with bottles."   
"He's going to kill himself, or someone else. We'd better speak to Hammond tomorrow, make sure SG-1 doesn't get off-world until Jack stops it with this self destructive behaviour."   
"Uh, tomorrow might not be the best time to take SG-1's problems to the general, remember General Carter's coming through the 'gate tomorrow at 1300 hours, and the General has to explain Sam's leaving to him."   
"So we'll wait until the General leaves, I can't believe Sam's been gone for over two months and no one's told her father yet." Janet heads to her office and then returns with her bags. "Are you hungry?"   
"I guess so, what'd you have in mind?" I follow her out of the infirmary and through the corridors.   
"Well either the mess or that little place on my way home."   
"I really don't feel like being on base more than I have to, you mind if I invite Teal'c?"   
"No, of course not, do you think Captain Guy would enjoy a Jack-free outing with SG-1?"   
"Why don't you go check on Lucy while I grab Teal'c and we'll meet in the garage." She goes off in the direction of the female quarters and I, of course, head for Teal'c's room.   
Minutes later Teal'c and I stand by my car discussing Jack's latest behaviour, Janet arrives with Lucy who flashes us probably her second smile since joining our team.   
"Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, how are you tonight?"   
"I am well."   
"Pretty good and please call me Daniel." I answer as we all pile into Janet and my cars. The meal went really well until the friendly non-serious conversation gravitated to Jack.   
"It is nice to know that I'm not the only one concerned about Colonel O'Neill, the entire time I've been at the SGC I have heard such wonderful things about him, but now I'm concerned for our lives every time we're off-world."   
"Jack was a great guy until Sam left, he just kind of snapped and reverted back to how he was after Charlie died."   
"Charlie?" Lucy asks confused.   
"I'm the only one in the SGC that knew Jack back then...Charlie was Jack's son, he died shortly before the original Abydos mission. Jack was a complete suicidal mess, that's the reason he was chosen for the mission in the first place; he survived the mission, obviously, when he came back his wife, Sara, left him but then he seemed completely normal when he returned to Abydos."   
"So did a member of the team leaving do this to him? Does he feel like she's dead now?"   
"I don't think it's that simple, Sam and Jack were best friends, they spent almost all of their down time together, of course they were with Daniel and Teal'c a lot too but Sam and Jack had this bond, some sort of kindred spirit deal with them both being the only military members of the team." Janet said giving a nod of apology for the mild put down.   
"May I ask a question, some what inappropriate, since you out rank me Janet?"   
"Yes, speak freely, we're just off duty friends having a conversation."   
"Well, were the rumours true?"   
"What rumours?" I ask knowing where this is probably headed.   
"The rumours of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter's relationship. That they were more than just friends and co-workers. Some people even theorised that Major Carter was pregnant, someone heard her saying something in a bathroom on level 24."   
I feel the overpowering urge to laugh, as preposterous as her entire speech sounded there was some truth to the fact that Sam and Jack definitely seemed more than 'just friends', but Sam pregnant, that I find purely unbelievable.   
"I don't think Sam was pregnant, and if she was it sure couldn't have been Jack's baby, Sam would have mentioned something to me, and it should have sent up red flags all over her tests." Leave it to Janet to add sanity to any conversation, of course Sam couldn't be pregnant...oh no, Lucy even had me starting to believe it. I'm still confused as to Sam's reasons or leaving, hopefully Jacob will be able to offer some insight to her reasons, of course he is finding out two months after the fact.   
24 Hours Later   
Jacob has come and gone, although he didn't leave via Stargate, he went in a car.   
Selmak was actually who I spoke with, he said hello and handed me a letter, addressed in Sam's hand writing before he ran off toward the elevator. The letter didn't exactly do anything to calm my uneasiness about Sam, all she said was sorry for hitting me and for messing up SG-1 so badly. I didn't know it was possible to feel so bad about something so small as a letter, well actually one phrase, she feels responsible for what's happened to SG-1, she even said her leaving wasn't Jack's fault, that the decision had already been made before their fight (which we all already knew), and that she was happy where she would be going. I really wish she would have told me where she was going, I would have gone and dragged her back if I had to; I just want things to be how they were in the old days, but I guess it's true you can never go back, once you've opened   
Pandora's box there's no closing it.   
  
4SAM:   
My Dad's coming, it was actually Martouf who called, he absolutely LOVES telephones.   
Am I nervous? Hell yes. Am I going to tell them who the baby's father is? Hell no. Dad is going to be so surprised when he finds out about the baby, of course not necessarily pleasantly surprised, considering I gave up the Air Force and the Stargate program. But I have found an apartment to move into so I'll be out of Mark's hair in a couple of days, of course his wife is probably going to start stalking me, she is so excited about a new baby in the family, it's scary.   
Getting back to the subject of my father... he should be here tomorrow along with Martouf, Selmak and Lantash will have to keep themselves quiet for a day of so until we can stay at my new place, of course that is if Dad doesn't get mad at me and go packing for the Tok'ra. I hope Daniel received my letter and understood everything I was attempting to convey to him. I know that Jack is most likely livid about my departure, and I am positive he's taking it out on SG-1 and for that I am very sorry. Seeing the look on my father's face when he realised I am pregnant was probably the strangest thing I've ever experienced (and I've been going to other planets for over 3 years). He hugged me and once he'd recovered from the initial shock he gave a 'Holy Hannah' and allowed Martouf to give his greetings. Mark looked Martouf over and ended up shaking his head and walking off, I smiled and led my visitors to the living room.   
"Sammy, would you like to explain everything to me? I got to the base to be greeted by George who told me you'd resigned...two months ago."   
"Yes Dad, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, but as I'm sure General Hammond told you, it was very hurried."   
"George is worried about you, did you tell anyone at the base about this?" He asks motioning to my bulging stomach.   
"No the day I found out I went to the General and resigned, I left the next day."   
"Who is the father?" I had of course been expecting this question, it had been one of the first things Mark had asked once I'd arrived and told him what was going on.   
"Excuse me Jacob, I believe I will go gather our belongings." Martouf excuses himself from the room, obviously embarrassed at the conversation.   
"A guy in Colorado Springs, things just didn't work out between us."   
"Does he know about the baby?"   
"No, he doesn't need to know."   
"Do you really think you can support a child by yourself?"   
"Yes, I have a job that pays pretty well, my savings is quite healthy, and I have friends and family here, Dad I've started an entirely new life."   
"But doesn't this man have the right to know he's going to be a father?"   
"Yes...eventually, but not while I'm not exactly sure how everything will work it's self out. And of course there's always Jolinar to contend with, what foreign things she left in my body are masking my hormone levels so well that I was passing all of my medical exams at the base for over two months, you can only tell if you really know what to look for."   
"Dr. Fraiser doesn't even know?"   
"No, I didn't want to have to play 20 questions with Janet, and if she knew then other people on the base could find out." We just sat there for a while I had been fully aware of Mark's presence right outside the room since we'd sat down, that's why I didn't go into too much detail about Jolinar and the SGC. "How's SG-1?" I ask finally.   
"Dr. Jackson misses you terribly, he was happy to receive your letter, Teal'c is well...Teal'c is Teal'c- he did say that if I saw you to send his regards."   
"What about the Colonel?" I've got to know if he's okay, or if I've completely ruined him.   
"I didn't see him while I was on the base, but I did hear quite a few rumours and George mentioned a long-term suspension for SG-1."   
"Why?"   
"Seems O'Neill can't 'play nice' with your replacement, a Captain Lucy Guy, and he is displaying reckless behaviour- more so than usual, were he not in the SGC he would be facing a court-martial."   
"I can't believe he's taking out his frustrations on somebody who wasn't even around when I was there."   
"Well she is fulfilling your duties." The front door opens and I feel a great flood of relief at the sight of my two nephews and a couple of their friends, followed closely by Martouf and Angie- my brother's wife.   
"Dad do you always make your guests stand outside?" She asks.  
"He said he wanted to go out, he doesn't get to see peaceful neighbourhoods very often." Martouf has that deer in headlights look on his face and straightens up when my father goes to join him. "This is Marty, we work together and since we never get a vacation we both decided to come." Mark and his family greet 'Marty' strangely; nobody really knows what to think of Dad and his 'friend'. I feel really bad Lantash and especially Selmak can't speak because they both are people Tok'ra and could talk for hours.   
  
5JACK:   
How many times do you think you can tell yourself you hate someone before it sinks in that you really don't? Well for me it was before the thought ever occurred to me, I could never hate Sam, she could do just about any thing to me and I'd still be crazy about her. That must be one of the things that are making all of this so hard on me. I am completely, 100%, head-over-heels in love with Samantha Carter... and you know what, there's nothing I can do about it.   
SG-1 went back on duty a few days ago, we were only together for about ten minutes while Hammond announced our, possibly permanent, on-world status. I am pretty sure Captain Guy tried to send some form of death to me from across the table- not just because of my attitude these last two months but because at least when she was on SG-11 she got to go off-world once in a while, but now thanks to me she's suspended as well- some promotion eh? Sam's dad was on the base about a week ago, left after about an hour, and nobody's spoken to him since, of course no one has to tell me anything. I just wonder if he's seeing Sam, if he's getting the answers I haven't been able to; I also wonder if she's told him about our relationship, does he know how much I love her, how much I'd give to take back that one horrible fight and go back to how things were before the stress, I do believe that's what it was, got out of hand. Jacob Carter is probably the one person I could relate to, he knows Sam, the real Sam, he got to watch her grow into an amazing woman, but not even he could get as lucky as I to have spent almost every moment with her, both conscience and not, Sam shared her entire self with me, or so I thought, now all I've been left with is a heart aching with love and about a billion questions.   
At work I've been trying to improve my attitude, I managed to be almost civil to Captain Guy, she was visibly impressed with my efforts, along with Daniel and Teal'c... I'm even starting to curve my alcohol intake, of course it was either that or the General threatened to order me to stay on base and bunk with Teal'c- no thank you, I mean I like the big guy and all but live with him? One of us would die, and it'd probably be me.   
  
6DANIEL:   
This entire week has been strange, first Jack was pretty near to being polite to Lucy, I do believe we were all quite shocked, and the biggest shock of all came when I was going through my mail and staring at me was Sam, on the cover of one of my scientific journals. Seems she solved a complex problem that a bunch of 'big-wig' astrophysicist guys hadn't been able to solve in their entire lives and she got named head of the astrophysics department at her university, she is also the youngest person to ever hold that title. I'm happy for her, now that she's not doing that whole 'classified' deal anymore she can finally get the recognition she deserves. I have also put in for some vacation time, I figure I might as well go see Sam, that way I might be able to help Jack out some. I just hope she won't be too mad at me for being an uninvited guest.   
Teal'c left today, he felt he could be of no use around the SGC now that SG-1's been suspended so he went through the 'gate to the Land of the Light to be with his family. The base feels really lonely without Sam or Teal'c, now all I've got left is Janet and she works almost 20 hours a day. Jack, while he is improving is still not someone I'm looking to spend very much voluntary time with, and Lucy and I don't have very much in common; she is a scientist and all but we didn't click like Sam and I did. I'll be leaving in a few days to go to northern California to attempt to hunt Sam down at the university she's working at, considering I don't know her address I hope she doesn't take a vacation or something.   
Tonight I have got a date with two beautiful women for dinner and a movie, of course that is if Cassandra's swim meet doesn't go late, it seems that while they didn't have swings in 'Ontario' they sure did have water because Cassie swims like a fish and Janet is so proud of her daughter. I'm leaving the base now, I am supposed to meet Janet at Cassie's school. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will probably not become a father, and surprisingly enough I'm okay with that. I've seen people who've gone their entire lives without procreating and they seem perfectly content and happy. That's not to say that I don't ever want to have a child of my own, or that I don't like children, I love spending time with Cassandra and Teal'c's little friend was fun to spend the day with too. I'm also not saying that I don't ever want to get married again, it really depends on the person I guess, and of course I fully know that children are not a requirement of marriage, but like many people I think having a little person around would add colour to an otherwise boring setting.   
I park my car in the middle school parking lot amid the numerous mini-vans already there. I immediately change my mind about wanting a 'little' person around, I want a 'medium' sized person like Cassie as opposed to the approximately twenty toddlerish children waiting around with various mothers, fathers, nannies, and other guardian types. I spot Janet speaking animatedly to a man cradling the only peaceful child around.   
"Hey Janey." I say joining them.   
"Daniel, glad you could make it." She warmly welcomes me to their 'group'. "This is Benton Marshall, he just moved to Colorado Springs, he's a doctor and both of his children are adopted." I shake his hand and wonder if he wants to go out with Janet and start to feel almost jealous, I turn my mind to the silent child in his arms, my best guess would put his age around three.   
"Very nice to meet you Dr. Jackson, Janet here was telling me you're a linguist."   
"Yes, I speak 23 languages actually." I say attempting to make myself not sound too conceited.   
"You speak Arabic?"   
"Yes, why?"   
"My son, Mahmud, has only lived with us a couple of days and I don't speak any Arabic, I'm afraid he may not feel well."   
"He hasn't said anything?"   
"No, we're pretty worried, it's just my other son Yuri and myself. We think that Mahmud is used to being around many people, many people who spoke his language." I lean over and look the small boy in the face.   
"Izzayak?" I ask.   
"Kwayis." I smile and keep talking to him for a while and am amazed at his vocabulary considering his age and living in an orphanage his entire life before this.   
The swim team enters and as Cassandra and a kid I can only assume to be Yuri make their way toward us I finish up my conversation smiling at his children's sense of humour.   
"Malaab." I repeat after him attempting to get my brain to translate properly, Mahmud has of course decided to use the one word in his language I don't know.   
"What has he been saying?" Janet asks, "That was amazing."   
I look back up to Benton. "Mahmud's fine, he would like to go... to a playground sometime, he really likes them." I say proud of myself for figuring out the unknown word.   
"Thank you Dr. Jackson, we're supposed to have a translator live with us for a short time until we can understand each other."   
"That's good." I say and follow Janet and Cassandra as they drag me out to the parking lot. We decide to go out to eat and skip the movie until another day considering the swim meet went over and we missed most of it. At the restaurant while we're awaiting our food I decide to bring up the one piece of news that needs to come out sooner or later. "I'm going on vacation next week." I announce.   
"Really, where are you going?"   
"Northern California, I figure it's time I got out of the mountain, you know, see Earth." I smile and hope Janet can't tell I'm lying through my teeth.   
"It'll be a good thing for you to get away from the base... and Jack." By this time our food has arrived and we are hungrily digging in. "General Carter's coming back tomorrow, General Hammond told me when he dropped off the list of 'primitive' medical supplies the Tok'ra have requested."   
"Did he see Sam?" Cassie questions.   
"Probably, I don't know though because he doesn't have to tell anyone where he's going or who he's seeing." We spend the rest of our dinner discussing Cassandra's swim meet. I get lost in thoughts of my own upcoming adventure and begin thinking of possible scenarios for Sam's reaction to me showing up as I drive home.   
  
7SAM:   
Three days, that's how long I've been alone, alone with all of these 'normal' people, the kind of people who don't even believe in aliens and if they did it sure wouldn't be more than a fleeting thought in their minds. If you've never been six months pregnant I don't recommend it, boy I was underweight before well now I think I have more than made up for it, I'm as big as a Stargate... er house. I'm attempting to become a more suitable mother, my new apartment is child proofed, the baby's room decorated and I'm even leasing a so-called 'family car' well more like a mini-SUV.   
In three months I should have a little one to place in this setting I have so carefully prepared for it. Yes I know the sex and it is only out of sheer habit I still refer to him as 'it'. I have worked so hard on everything except the one detail most parents have been poring over since they got positive results; I have absolutely no idea what to call my son.   
I have thought of quite a few names I like, my favourite so far has been Samuel, but due to the closeness to my own name I have placed it low on my list. My next and obvious choice was Jacob, but for some reason that one just doesn't sit well with me, I couldn't imagine calling my child that. The only reasonable name I could decide on was Jonathan, true the same name as his father, but he won't be called Jack, and no one around here knows who 'Jack' is. Okay...yippee, I now have some thing to call my child!   
Well work isn't too bad, I teach three times a week and do research the rest of the time, too bad there's no Naquadh reactor. Presently I am on my way to work, I'm supposed to give a lecture in about ten minutes, I guess I'm going to be a little late, not too late though. Since getting my promotion to head of the department there's been an influx of students wanting to take my 'Introduction to Astrophysics' class.   
The university grounds are crowded when I arrive, it being the first day of the semester and all, I head to the lecture hall be to greeted by a couple hundred freshmen.   
"Hello, I'm Professor Carter, yes this is a baby and no I will not be leaving before the semester is over." I greet and dig on in to my lecture. By the time I'm done I am pretty sure there are quite a few students rethinking their future careers. I head to my lab as quickly as possible, making a blessedly successful attempt to avoid my colleagues.   
Unfortunately all of my work since leaving the SGC has been on paper, it gets rather boring but this is the life I have accepted and I'm happy...really. Okay getting to work... all I've really been doing lately is re-working the same problems I have already solved, a few weeks ago a colleague asked me to do a theoretical workup on the physics of a black hole and I almost laughed.   
I hear voices talking rather loudly in the hall, but just attribute that to some new students that seem to have gotten themselves lost, I don't even pay any attention until the door to the lab opens and someone steps in closing the door behind himself. I spin around (rather slowly due to my size) to behold a familiar face.   
"Uh...hey Sam." Daniel says quietly looking me over from head to toe and back again.   
  
8JACK:   
I am the only remaining member of the original SG-1. Yeah I know it's my fault, but who's here for me to apologise to now? I actually spent 45 minutes today trying to make amends with Captain Guy, I think she just got sick of me eventually because she smiled and started tinkering with Sammy's reactor.   
Sam is the smartest person I have ever met, so of course she must have seen something bad going down long before Teal'c and Daniel. I am still waiting around for Hammond and Doc Fraiser to see the light and get the hell away from me; supposedly Danny's just on vacation, but he didn't specify a destination or when he's coming back, until then even if I did get approved to go off-world I couldn't go anyway because my whole team seems to have abducted themselves.   
Tonight I plan on going home to do something other than sleep or drink; I am going to box up Sam's things, the few things that are still lingering around in my drawers, and of course there's 'her' pillow which is still on the bed exactly where it's been for the last four months since she left and about three months before that while she still occupied that spot. I guess her things will go in the attic next to Charlie's things- another box that will never be opened again. Okay...um I'm getting off track here... where should I pick back up at? Oh...how about General Carter? Sounds good, okay, 'Dad' went back through the 'gate with Marty- now that guy really bugs me, he always looks so self-satisfied and you know the worm in his head is plotting the demise of Earth or something equally as underhanded.   
I wonder if Dad got to see Sam, although I am starting to doubt that because I wasn't mysteriously zatted before he and Martouf conveniently disappeared through the 'gate. I'm really starting to question my place in life; when I returned from Abydos for the second time and got command of SG-1 I thought maybe I'd been given a second chance at everything in my life that I screwed up the first time around... and when Sam and I got together I was blissfully happy, true I felt the strain of our guarded secret but I was hoping to get us out of the darkness that pulled our nerves so tight with tension and into the light where we would be accepted for what we are... er were, two damn fine officers who during our off hours just happened to be romantically involved- but of course those were just the idle fantasies of a man basking in the euphoric light of the peaceful, contented look on the face of the woman I love. I pick up the small pile of Sam's clothes and after failing in my valiant attempt not to bury my face in them just to have two seconds of having her essence with me, I gingerly place the pile in the box and add to it her pillow and the two notebooks I have been hiding under my bed since she left. I close the lid of the box and look around, of course anything else she would have hid so well that I'll probably never find it, let alone the friends or ours they were originally meant to be concealed from. The attic is full of light as I place the box in a secluded area and make it back down the steps in record time- that is the lair of bad memories.   
I settle down on the couch with a cold pizza and an exciting non-alcoholic can of soda. Boy all that flavour and just one calorie...look what those scientists are putting their genius to now. I'm out of friends and the one time I feel the urge to talk in my entire life there's no one here for me to share it with...suddenly inspiration strikes, I pick up the phone and dial. "Hi Sara, sorry to call at such and inconvenient time, but would you like to go have some dinner somewhere tonight?" I hope she doesn't think I've flipped out in the same fashion of when the 'other' Jack took my body for a ride and attempted to make my life all better. Sara has agreed and I'm about to run back to my old life in order to soothe my conscience on my new life.   
  
9DANIEL:   
I can't believe I actually made it to Northern California without turning right back around, I guess if nothing else fighting Goa'uld for four years has given me courage. I open the door to the lab while the student assistant whole-heartedly claimed 'Professor Carter doesn't like to socialise'. My first glimpse of my dear friend in four months is of her back, but slowly as she turns to see who has invaded her space I see she is no longer the Sam I once knew, and all at once I realise for once and maybe always, the rumours were true.   
"Uh...hey Sam." I say for lack of anything better to say, which despite my wonderful allergy shots, is followed by a sneeze.   
"Bless you." She says and politely hands me a Kleenex.   
"Thanks...you're uh pregnant."   
"Yeah, I kinda noticed that." She smiles and for a short time I can imagine her on some far away planet fighting the Goa'uld. "So Daniel, SG-1's still suspended? I'm guessing since you're here it's really as bad as my Dad said."   
"Yeah, we're still suspended. Teal'c left to be with his family, I've been hiding out in my lab, and Jack... well the General has kept him busy doing paperwork all day. Things aren't as bad as they were a couple of months ago though, Jack has stopped drinking and Lucy is busy entertaining herself with 'the' reactor."   
"Is it true he almost got Captain Guy killed?"   
"Yes, but it wasn't specifically Captain Guy...it was all of us, he just didn't seem focused, well we all made it home safe and sound, haven't been off-world since."   
"I'm sorry, I know that probably isn't much of a consolation but I thought by leaving I would be saving everyone a whole lot of trouble." She's got tears clouding her eyes and I wonder how many people have been asking uncomfortable questions lately. She turns away a small smile playing across her face. "I'm sorry Daniel, hormones, really."   
"Is it all right that I'm here? I don't want to be forcing you to deal with me."   
"Daniel of course you're welcome here. If you're not staying somewhere else you can stay at my apartment, it'll be really nice top have some company... that is if you're alone."   
"Don't worry Sam, I wouldn't bring the entire SGC out here, yet, we'll have to wait for the baby to come for that." I say smiling.   
"Are you by any chance hungry?"   
"I guess so, by any chance could I get some coffee?"   
"Daniel, we're all professors here, of course we've got coffee." She grabs her purse and we're off through the halls of the private labs and of course getting stared at by everyone we pass.   
"Do people always look at you like this?"   
"Some times, they're most likely looking at you, considering I go out of my way to avoid people you're some thing of a novelty." We dine in the cafeteria where Sam is continually getting greeted by freshmen looking to 'suck-up'. Sam all the while shovels the food down her throat while demanding a run down of Cassandra's latest activities. Once Sam and the baby have both had their fill we decide to leave my rental car at the University. I grab my duffel bag and we load ourselves into Sam's obviously new vehicle. The drive is filled with Sam's questioning about everyone in the SGC, that is everyone except Jack. She is steadily avoiding the mention of him. Finally two and a half people arrive at the modest apartment building.   
"How many bed rooms?" I ask as I pull my bag out.   
"Two, you can either try out the couch or the baby's room is still unoccupied, of course there's no big-person bed in there, but that could be easily remedied." She unlocks the doors and I am greeted to a living-room like thousands of other upper middle class American's, Sam's really been working hard to strive for 'normal' and it shows.   
"This is nice."   
"I've only liked here about a month, but Dad and Martouf helped decorate, Martouf has the worst taste." She said giving a theatrical groan.   
"So, Sam, when's the baby due?" I take a leap with a drastic topic change.   
"Why do you wanna know? So you can have Uncle Teal'c, Aunt Janet and Uncle George around to see us?" She says continuing on with my earlier joke.   
"What about Daddy Jack?" She lets out her breath in a huff and sinks down on the couch.   
"I had really hoped you would never get around to asking that."   
"It's Jack, I mean it's gotta be him right?" I sit down next to her and she stares at me for quite a few minutes before speaking again.   
"Of course you're right Daniel, when haven't you been." She paused swallowing. "But you have to listen to me and not tell anyone, please, the 'official story' that I've told everyone else it that it was a guy in Colorado Springs that I dated a few times and things just didn't work out." Those tears are back in her eyes and suddenly I find myself agreeing with her and leaning to embrace her comfortingly. I'm really starting to miss the old Sam that didn't cry, the one who was strong so I didn't have to be.   
  
10SAM:   
I really didn't mean to manipulate Daniel that way; I know my new-found ability at looking completely vulnerable and tearing up really works some people over, obviously Daniel is one of them. I think I am just now getting over the shock of him being here, when I turned around in my lab and saw him it might have well been Jack for the reaction I had, I do believe my heart literally stopped; of course when Daniel sneezed that brought me back to who I was really dealing with.   
Now as I sit here with Daniel's arms around me I wonder how I actually found it in myself to hit him that day at Jack's, this one person who came to me after I had virtually abandoned him along with all of my other best-friends... more than ever before I wanted to go back in time and erase that one little indiscretion, and still be able to be with Jack and still be able to see Daniel, Teal'c, Janet and everyone else whenever I felt like it, those people were my family more so than my real family- my alien father and my judgmental brother, boy did we make an interesting group. Daniel pulls back and pulls me back to the present along with him; he gives me a nervous smile.   
"So Danny, you want the grand tour?" I say accidentally using Jack's shortening of his name.   
"Of course," He says helping me up. "Lead the way." I lead him through the kitchen and down the hall showing him the location of the bathroom, my bedroom, and lastly the baby's room.   
"This is really nice." He says. "Did you do it all your self?"   
"Yes, I've been pretty bored lately, so I put myself to work on things that I probably won't get around to if I get any bigger, and the apartment is completely child-proofed, so I'm set and won't have to worry about that once he starts crawling around."   
"He...so the baby's a boy?"   
"Yes, I found that out quite a while ago."   
"Do you have a name picked out yet?" He asks as we head back into the living room.   
"Jonathan Daniel Carter."   
"That sounds like a good name, are you going to call him Jack or John?"   
"Jonathan, why shorten it? If he decides to do shorten it what ever he chooses is up to him."   
"When are you going to tell Jack he's a father again... don't you think that's a pretty cruel secret to keep?"   
"I don't want to even think about telling him until Jonathan is born, there are too many things that could still go wrong, and Jolinar's blood is still masking most of the chemical signs of pregnancy but the ultrasound looked normal and the amniocentesis was normal as well." I decide to eat again and Daniel decides to join me this time.   
We eat in companionable silence, me because eating has now become serious business and Daniel is probably still processing all of the facts through his head, I'm just glad we both reacted as well as we did. Our dinner is cut short as it seems someone is buzzing to be let up. It seems Mark and Angie have decided on an unannounced visit, I let them up and soon I'm opening my door to two very surprised faces.   
"Is this the guy?" Mark asks quite rudely; Daniel, now sitting on the couch, gives him a confused look.   
"No, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, we used to work together."   
"Sorry to jump on you there Daniel." Mark says offering him a hand, which Daniel politely takes.   
"Daniel, this is my brother Mark and his wife Angie." Angie insisting on seeing what I have done to the baby's room, drags me down the hall as an excuse to interrogate me about my OB/GYN appointment the previous afternoon. Once Angie believes she has gained sufficient information from me we head back in the room where the males are settled on the couch discussing, of all things, Martouf, or as he was called during his visit 'Marty'.   
"Are you telling me that guy is a scientist?"   
"In a way... I guess he's like Sam in that he's a scientist and a soldier."   
"That guy just got on my nerves, following Dad around as if he were his shadow."   
"Marty doesn't get out very often, and his uh...wife died a couple of years ago." Daniel said, his face taking on the drawn look it gets when he thinks of his wife, Sha'uri, who also died a couple of years before.   
"So he's not uh... gay?"   
"Huh?" I ask.   
"Well we just assumed." Angie says. I get the urge to laugh at their serious faces, but I don't.   
"No, I became quite familiar with his wife and hey, Martou...Marty even tried to get me to um... date him." Eventually my family did leave and once the door closed Daniel and I both had a very critical conversation about Martouf, seems Mr. Tok'ra isn't exactly well liked around the SGC, it's not just SG-1...mainly Jack, who dislike him. It was late when we retired, Daniel on the sofa bed and me of course in my own bed.   
  
11JACK:   
Okay so inviting your ex-wife to dinner isn't exactly the best idea when she's got a father who despises you. We ended up sitting at her kitchen table while her Dad finished cooking our meal; ackward is putting it mildly, whatever balls I had when I called Sara had abandoned me as, like children, the food was placed in front of us and her Dad walked out.   
"Honey, if you need me I'll be up stairs." Is all he says.   
"Thanks for seeing me Sara." I say after swallowing the very small amount of food I had managed. "After last time I wasn't sure if I'd ever get an audience with you again...well last time was just weird."   
"Very weird Jack, and that Stargate thing you both, both of you spoke of, I really didn't know what to think, now I've decided to just not think about it."   
"It's hard to believe it's been three years since the last time we've spoken to each other."   
"A lot of things have changed, I did see that you got arrested a few moths ago... what was it a bar-room brawl?" I nod and she continues. "Your photo was in the paper, but you didn't look as bad then as you do now. Even getting arrested you looked pretty happy, but of course that's probably why you're here now." That was, of course, my cue to speak.   
"I need to understand what I've done, how my life can go from wonderful to hell twice, I don't know how I keep doing it, and you seem to be the only one left."   
"I don't understand Jack, what happened?" That was not the way I wanted to sound, I wanted to sound slightly rational... oh well no going back now.   
"Do you remember my team? Teal'c, Dr. Jackson, and Major... er Captain Carter back then?"   
"Yes, Dr Jackson and Captain Carter were the only ones I was with for very long, they both seemed really nice. They were the same people you got arrested with right?"   
"Not Teal'c but Carter and Daniel yes, of course now they're all gone, due, of course, to my behaviour that seems to have not improved in seven years."   
"What's happened?" She asks for the second time.   
"A few months ago I was in love with someone, so in love that I actually wanted to get married again."   
"What's so wrong with that?" She's goading me and making an attempt at sounding interested at least.   
"Major Carter and I had practically been living together for I guess about four months, and of course we didn't tell anyone because we would both have been facing a court-martial, keeping it from the rest of our team was hard... considering the four of us were together nearly 24/7 secrets were hard to keep." I pause and take in the astonished look on her face; I don't think she could imagine me going after someone under my command. "Things got hard, one day Sam walked into my house and we had a screaming match, which of course with their impeccable timing our two other team mates showed up to see the end of. Sam left that day and I haven't seen her since, she resigned, of course we eventually found out she had done that the day of the 'fight' as it is now called, but before it even happened."   
"What about the other two members of your team, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c, didn't you say they're gone too?"   
"Yes. After Sam left my behaviour was pretty bad, I think 95% of the time was spent drunk and the rest of the time was spent wishing I were. Sam's replacement and Daniel, I verbally attacked both of them on a daily basis, so of course our team was soon suspended and we all got to hang around the base."   
"Isn't that what you do anyway?"   
"Uh... I guess so, but soon Teal'c said if we were not going to do anything he wanted to go be with his family, so he left, and then a couple of days ago Daniel just popped up and said he was off for an unspecified amount of time."   
"And that's all? You think everyone's just given up on you from that? Sounds to me like you need to go back and make an honest attempt at being yourself again. Daniel will come back, have Teal'c called back, and hope that Major   
Carter still feels the same way about you as you do her and maybe she'll come back." I know I just got yelled at but it actually made sense, and once I had politely finished my cold food I thanked Sara and left her house feeling better than I had in months. I get in my car to hunt down Captain Lucy Guy to propose a scheme that may be the saving grace of us all.   
  
12DANIEL:   
I've been with Sam for an entire month now and after seeing how alone she is I have decided to take a four month leave from the SGC, I already called General Hammond, and then my landlord for my apartment in Colorado, and now I reside across the hall from Sam. Although you really wouldn't notice because we're always together, I was lucky enough, with Sam's help, to be a guest lecturer at the university for the next couple of months until the baby is born and I become 'Uncle Danny' as Sam's doctor so lovingly put it when we were there yesterday.   
I knock on Sam's door and without waiting for an answer open it and enter. "Hey Sam, you ready to go?" I call out.   
"I'll be right out." I have learned that 'right out' changes meaning when you're pregnant. I have never thought of Sam as a self-conscience person but now she stands in the mirror forever attempting to see some semblance of her old 'look'. When she emerges I'm taken aback at just how un-Sam like she does look. Her hair while not too much longer has gained a good amount of body; her clothing is very becoming- a modest blue dress that sets off not only her eyes but also makes her face take on a less stressed innocence.   
"You look nice." We both say in unison before having a good laugh at our formal attire.   
"Why didn't you dress that nice for my promotion ceremony?" She asks smiling.   
"Well because I was expecting Jack to be abducted of course, and nobody could have topped Teal'c's cowboy getup." We continue our cheerful banter until we get in 'our' car, it seems to have become ours now that Sam claims to be too big to drive... personally I don't believe it but hey I got to rid myself of that over-priced rental car and Sam is now referring to the car as 'ours'. The reason for our formal attire is a gala for the university; Sam tried to get out of going to it in more ways than one, but of course with the assistance of several of our co-workers I was able to goad her into it, not to mention that she is supposed to receive an award that she doesn't know about... yet.   
Our ride is uneventful but once we get out of the car and enter the hall we are besieged by brown-nosier students and then by the colleagues I have forced Sam to socialise with and she has now decided she likes. We're greeted with an added note of enthusiasm as we head to the punch bowl one of which had been labelled 'Non-alcoholic' just in case anybody got any ideas, which usually seems to be the case.   
Eventually after much fahddling we got around to the awards, which being the newest professor I got to present. I got on stage nervously and once I made it to the podium I just started rambling.   
"I am incredibly pleased to present this award to one of my best-friends who was so excited when we met that she just asked question after question and you know what, that exuberance has never faded... Professor Samantha Carter, get up here on stage and save me." She comes up on the stage and throws her arms around me and Jonathan kicks me! Sam pulls back in surprise putting her hand to her stomach and after I had done the same I pushed her to the podium.   
"Obviously my son likes Daniel, "She says getting a chuckle from everyone. "Everyone here probably knew I was getting this award, I, of course was kept in the dark. Thank you everyone not just for that but for this award, I haven't been here very long and this means a lot to me." We stepped down and went back to our seats together, that is a memory I will cherish forever as one of the best. Sam had finally started to lay down roots in California. We've both got friends and neighbours and we've even joined her brother for dinner a few times though I'm getting the distinct impression Mark and Angie believe that Sam and I are 'involved', but we're just laughing it off. I will remember my vow not to tell Jack about Jonathan forever, I think I am finally starting to understand in a minute way the strain that major secrets have on a relationship, not that Sam and my relationship is bad but we're both tactfully avoiding what happened once Jonathan Daniel enters the world and it's time for Sam to keep up her end and inform Jack of the baby's paternity...what comes first is telling Jack about the baby.   
  
13SAM:   
Jonathan is being very active; he would only occasionally kick before the gala a few weeks ago when Daniel hugged me... but now I think that just like his father he's always rearing to go. I can not imagine how my life would be if Daniel had not decided to stay, he has helped me so much over the last month and a half, Daniel has actually made me become friends with our fellow professors and our neighbours; I have dinner with my brother's family once a week and we're now attending birthing classes. I fear I'm becoming dependant on Daniel, we do everything together and I am more than thankful for him being around, but what happens when I get settled in with Jonathan and Daniel has to go back to the SGC and of course I've got to keep my promise by somehow telling Jack about the baby.   
Lately I've been disinclined to sleep due, of course, to my increasing ponderance of how immensely my life is going to change in a little over two months. My anxiety of that very near future is increasing in leaps and bounds and I am sure that Daniel's noticed my withdrawal is worse than before, it seems that I have been attempting to hide everything from my one ally; I know this is stupid behaviour that could be destructive not only to me but to Jonathan as well. Believe it or not I have been spending time with a male other than Daniel, not that I'm in any position to start up a romantic relationship nor do I have the desire to do so... after all I am still in love with Jack. getting back to the present... Daniel is currently crashed on my couch, I have been having false labour pains for quite a few days now and even at my insistence that I will all right with him across the hall he has been persistent in keeping an eye on 'us' 24/7. His watch-dog act is heart warming to everyone other than Nathan- my new friend, he is actually a single father of two, the youngest was born three months ago when his wife died in a car accident. We met a couple of weeks ago in the single parent support group Daniel insisted I join and now Nathan and the kids come over and we talk and I take care of the baby- for practice.   
Daniel of course hovers like he's afraid we're going to run off with our two and a half kids and elope, I'd say we're pretty far from that happening.   
"Hey Sam, you're awake aren't you?" Daniel softly interrupts my reverie.   
"Yeah Danny, get in here." I pull back the sheets and after hesitating for a couple of seconds he crawls in.   
"You really should be asleep you know."   
"Yeah I know, but I've got an whole lot on my mind right now."   
"I'm sorry." We sit in silence for a while. "I spoke to Janet today, she said Cassandra won some kind of award for swimming, she put the pictures in the mail, I think she feels like I abandoned her, she just thinks my being here is an excuse to get away, but of course she doesn't know you're here."   
"You love her." I wasn't a question, it was a statement and I'm pretty sure he picked up on that.   
"Yes. Madly, deeply, totally, when I left we were spending almost all of our time together, I haven't told her because of everything that goes on around the SGC, and being on SG-1 I never know if I'm going to come back from a mission."   
"Don't ever let that stop you Daniel, well if Jack and I had let that stop us the two of us wouldn't be here having this conversation." I reach out and take his hand in the semi-darkness. "But you're not military, things would be different for you."   
"Everything is going to work out, you know that Sam, don't you?"   
"I sure hope so Danny, I sure hope so."   
  
14JACK:   
Three and a half months ago I walked out of Sara's house intent on getting my life and my team back together... okay so my plans haven't worked out quite so well. How was I to know that while I was busy getting my head put back on straight Daniel was busy making plans for a hiatus. Anywho I have been off world and Teal'c is back and I have even managed dinner with Captain Guy, of course not a personal dinner, Teal'c, Janet, and Cassandra were all there too. I'm not too fond of Daniel's 'temporary' replacement but I'm being a good buy and keeping it to myself. I really wish Sam were still around; she would be dying laughing at my attempts at civility. It is hard for me to believe that it has been over a year since Sam and I started our relationship; it is still amazing to me how short an amount of time is needed for change to take place. It's hard to believe that one year ago the four of us- myself, Sam, Teal'c, and Daniel were going off world, meeting, greeting, and some times fighting alien life. Then we'd go home, usually sharing a meal for whatever time of day it was and then we'd leave Teal'c on base and Daniel at his apartment, then Sam and I would retire together. Now I have a team made up of Teal'c, Captain Guy, Dr. Brent, and myself as far as I know we rarely eat and we all go home alone and unhappy. Yup I'd say that's a change. I am forgetting my positive outlook on life. I'm starting to believe my mental health to be superior to that of Doc Fraiser; she has been moping around ever since General Hammond announced Daniel's leave. I wasn't aware of a relationship between the two, but of course no one knew a damn thing about what we were doing off base, I've already made dinner plans with the Doc tonight, sans Cassandra, tonight is going to be an interrogation of sorts and I'm going to get a confession out of her if it kills both of us.   
"Janet, "I say as she sits down across from me in the isolated booth. "How are you doing tonight?"   
"Pretty good Colonel."   
"You can drop the title if you like, I'm here to talk about maters of a personal nature." So that's when I launched into my speech and when I finished Janet stared with her mouth slightly ajar. "Do you love Daniel?"   
"Do you love Sam?" She counters, this has surprised me because Sam was not mentioned in my narrative. "No use lying about it now, I loved her from the moment I first set eyes on her, and now that she's gone I still love her and would do anything to be with her again."   
"I didn't know you could be so convincing Colonel, okay my turn... Daniel and I began spending every free moment together, and I really thought something was going to happen between us, but then he left and moved to California, I miss him so much, but he has called me quite a few times and just rambled about the weather. You're right, I love him dearly." She accepted her food and started picking at it. "We're a sorry lot aren't we Colonel, pining over lost loves who we never really 'had' in the first place." I choke on my dinner and give her and apologetic look, I'm just glad it wasn't during some sort of investigation into my actions...great now I'm making up false trials. Luckily Janet just passes it off as things going down the wrong way.   
  
15DANIEL:   
There is a big difference between a Goa'uld giving birth and Sam giving birth. When Sha'uri gave birth it was in a cave with Teal'c assisting, Sam is currently giving birth in a hospital room with me playing coach and tons of doctors and nurses who know precisely what they're doing. She is so cool headed she's making me nervous, a couple of hours ago she called me and said. "Sorry to bother you., but I think Jonathan is ready to get out." Cool, calm, collected, I on the other hand threw open the door to my apartment, did the same to hers and made record time to the hospital. Now I get to sit back and let Sam enjoy the pain, although the way she's squeezing my hand I may be the one in more pain by the end of this. She hasn't screamed or given any exclamation of pain the entire time we've been here- the only sign is my ever-compressed hand.   
Finally after six hours and 19 minutes Jonathan Daniel Carter enters the world screaming for all he's worth and sounding suspiciously like his father.   
"You did it Sam, he's here and he's perfect."   
"Go call Jack, get him here, and please have somebody send a message through to my dad." She whispers before falling back onto the pillow exhausted.   
"Colonel O'Neill." Jack answers his phone once I've gotten through all of the security checks.   
"Jack, it's Daniel."   
"Doc told me you're in California, how's the weather?"   
"O.K., but I didn't call to talk about the weather, you've gotta come out here, bring along Janet and Teal'c as well." I quickly give him directions and hang up before he has the chance to ask any questions. I had spoken to General Hammond first and he assured me that Jacob would be sent as soon as he was shipped through the 'gate. I felt bad for not being able to tell the General about the baby, but I'm sure he'll probably find out soon enough. I head back to Sam's room where she's laying with Jonathan sleeping peacefully in her arms.   
"How is he?" I whisper.   
"Wonderful, doctor said he couldn't have been any better."   
"I called Jack and General Hammond. Jack, Janet, Teal'c and your Dad are all on their way. No one knows about Jonathan yet though."   
"Thanks for calling everyone, do you wanna hold him?"   
"Sure, I'd love to." I gently take the sleeping bundle in my arms and inspect him from head to toe. "He is so much smaller than Sha'uri's baby was."   
"They come in all shapes and sizes."   
"Jack is going to love him, you know that right?"   
"Yeah, I think that's why I asked you to call him."   
"I know I love him already." I say handing him back to her.   
"Me too, he's so helpless." The little person in question opens his eyes and gives a big yawn. "It's hard to believe that I'm a Mommy, just a few months ago I was a soldier, not even thinking about starting a family."   
"Well you know what, he's already been off world a couple of times."   
"My little over achiever." She says giving his head a kiss. I wonder what's going to happen to our lives once Jack and everyone else show up, what ever happens it 'ought to be entertaining.   
  
16SAM:   
In just a couple of hours I will be facing Jack for the first time in six and a half months, I am quite nervous. Jonathan and I both came home today after 24 hours in the hospital, I think Daniel believes he is going to get beat up by Jack or Janet or both, but for some reason he's not too worried about Teal'c. The baby seems really happy with his room, of course he's only two days old, but he hasn't complained and he rarely even cries.   
Too bad I had to let my students down after I told them I would be there for the entire semester, thankfully another professor from my department was more than happy to take over. My Dad called and it seems that about eight hours after Jack arrives Dad's going to join the party.   
Daniel is in Jonathan's room rocking him- I'm getting the feeling Daniel is already just as attached to the infant as I am, it's going to be hard for him when he has to leave us and go back to SG-1. I called Nathan and told him all about the baby, he said he couldn't wait to meet the newest addition to our 'play group'; I am so nervous I can't think straight, and of course I am now a single parent and I've got responsibilities.   
I enter Jonathan's room and kindly take him from Daniel.   
"Sorry, time for lunch."   
"Well that's one duty I can't take from you."   
"Trust me when he gets around to teething I will gladly fix you a bottle to give him."   
"You're just being parsimonious to save money on formula."   
"Yup, you know me too well." Our typical banter continues until there's a knock at the door. "Don't tell me he's here already, the baby's no where near being done."   
"I'll go let him in, he doesn't know why he's here so stalling shouldn't be a problem." He rushes off and thanks to the location of the nursery I can hear everything pretty well.   
"Hey Danny, what's the emergency?" Jack asks, just hearing his voice sends my heart racing, I can't believe I'm scared of someone who I was once so close to, that same someone who helped me create this perfect thing in my arms.   
"There's no emergency, but you'd better sit down you've had a long drive."   
"Daniel what the hell is going on?"   
"Uh Jack...where are Janet and Teal'c?"   
"They're on their way, just stopped for a bite to eat." The bell rings again. "That'd probably be them now." I hear the door open and then slam closed again followed by a quiet.   
"I apologize Daniel Jackson." Before Jonathan opens his mouth and lets out an ear-piercing wail.   
"Now what the hell is that Daniel?" I hear footsteps coming toward me and before I can more I stare fixed at Jack, Janet and Teal'c's astonished faces. "Oh for cryin' out loud, what's going on here?"   
  
17JACK:   
Of all things to hear in Daniel's apartment a baby crying is not very high on the list. Naturally I followed the sound and the first door down the hall contained a fully decorated baby's room, complete with screaming child and exposed Sam.   
"For cryin' out loud." I couldn't think of anything better to say, some things are just ingrained in your brain I guess. Sam pulls her clothing back in place and cuddles the baby before speaking.   
"I can explain."   
"Sam, why don't we wait a while, your Dad should be here soon, no use telling it more than once." Daniel interrupts.   
"Sam can I take him from you?" Janet asks.   
"Yeah, he seems to have calmed down, doesn't like to be interrupted during a meal." They both share a nervous laugh and my curiosity mounts.   
"Then it is you Samantha Carter that I owe an apology to for disturbing your child."   
"It's all right Teal'c, he needed to be alert to meet the rest of the family any way." We go back into the living- room and the bell rings.   
"Maybe it's Dad." I say using a line I used a couple of years ago.   
"Maybe." Sam answers back with a smile. Daniel opens the door to two people, neither of whom are Jacob. "Mark, Angie, how nice of you to drop in."   
"We just couldn't wait to get a hold of our little nephew." Angie says in a high- pitched 'baby talk' voice.   
"So," Sam says as the infant gets passed around. "Anybody need a drink? Sorry I don't have anything with alcohol in it." We all give her our drink requests, I volunteer to assist and she avoids my eyes the entire time we are in the kitchen.   
"Hey Sam, what's this precious thing's name?" Janet calls to her.   
"Jonathan Daniel Carter." I manage to catch her eyes but she quickly looks away guiltily. " You can just call him Jonathan." I am surprised at her use, weather intentional or not, of my first name to call her child. I wonder who the second party in Jonathan's creation was, it could most definitely been me, but I'm getting the feeling that Daniel is a pretty good possibility, of course during those last days when our relationship was terribly strained she could have taken up with some random guy, or Daniel.   
It becomes my turn to hold the baby and once he is passed to me I become instantly jealous of Daniel.   
"Sam, you've got a good boy here." I say.   
"Thanks, I really haven't spent much time with him, we came home from the hospital just a few hours ago, he was born at 2:15 yesterday morning." Now that I actually get brave enough to scrutinise her she looks pretty bad, tired, worn out and incredibly sexy...I am a dirty old man, can't even keep my mind clean while holding an infant.   
Jonathan is so peaceful looking now that he's sleeping and not screaming. I remember seeing Charlie when he was as 'new' as Jonathan and he never seemed so peaceful in a room with seven other people. Bright blue eyes, brown hair, pinkish skin...wow someone who was actually born yesterday; oddly enough he looks just like Sam. I can't believe it; I'm already completely in love with this kid.   
  
18DANIEL:   
Sam's Dad just got here and he is currently fussing over his new grandson. He's certainly aware of the tension in the room- every couple of minutes he looks around suspiciously at everyone, and Jack keeps staring at me and poor Sam seems to be asleep in the chair in the corner. Janet is currently sitting quietly on the couch next to Teal'c, I am getting to distinct impression she's not exactly thrilled to see me. As Jonathan gets passed around again and Sam's brother and his wife take their leave I get up to awaken Sam.   
"Sam, you'd better get up, I think it's explanation time." I whisper.   
"You mean they're still here and it wasn't some sort of bad dream?"   
"Nope, you'd better get up." She uncurls from the foetal position she was in. I notice that once again Jack is the last to get Jonathan and is cradling him protectively in his arms. Sam stands and smiles fondly at the scene before her and then a look of determination crosses her face and she says.   
"I know you're all waiting for an explanation, and I am prepared to give it to you, all of you certainly deserve one." She sits down again, as do I. "Daniel already knows everything considering he's been with me for the last three months. Okay well...I guess this comes as a surprise to you all, even though you're all my family, I just decided to be a coward and leave the SGC instead of facing up to the consequences of my actions." She realises she's being vague and smiles before continuing. "When I found out I was pregnant I went to the General and resigned. Jack was just an easy target and I took out all of my problems on him and I'm sorry for that. After all of SG-1 got there I came here and got a job and then a few months ago Daniel tracked me down and now he has a job here as well... that's about it."   
"Are you and Daniel Jackson romantically involved?" Teal'c asks jumping to the point, surprising both Sam and myself.   
"No Teal'c, Daniel lives across the hall and we remain, as always, friends." She stands up and walks over to Jack. "Do you mind if I take him back? He never got to finish his lunch." She says never looking him in the eye. Once he has been handed over Sam retreats down the hall.   
"I'm sure everyone's probably hungry...well Teal'c and Janet you guys did eat a couple of hours ago."   
"I could eat again Daniel Jackson." I take out my keys and toss them to Teal'c.   
"There's some chicken and a whole bunch of other stuff over there I got sent home with from some professor's luncheon. Straight across the hall." Selmak announces his intentions of assisting him and Jack asks to be directed to the bathroom and then disappears down the hall. Janet and I are alone. "How's Cassie?"   
"Wonderful, as always, misses you."   
"I miss her too, and I've missed you as well Janet."   
"You've missed a whole lot around the base; believe it or not Jack is hanging around with Captain Guy, and he even took me out to dinner the other night."   
"Sam's been interesting too these last few months, we've spoken so much about everything that until yesterday everything seemed straight in my head."   
  
19SAM:   
My life is way too complicated. I don't know what possessed me to have Daniel call Jack; now that he's here he has fallen in love with our son just as Daniel did and I feel like I've betrayed him, of course I did, but I didn't know I would feel this bad about it. Staring at Jonathan's face for long periods of time, like now when he's eating, makes you really see how much he looks like Jack.   
"Hey, Sam can we talk." I jump and look up to see Jack standing in the doorway.   
"How long have you been standing there?"   
"A while, he's beautiful, you know?"   
"Yes, that's because he looks like his father." He comes into my room and stands next to the bed. "You might as well sit down, I won't bite." He joins me on the bed and stares at Jonathan.   
"You don't mind if I watch do you? I've never seen that uh, done before, Charlie was bottle fed." He smiles like a little kid discovering something for the first time. "It's so amazing that you can sustain him, you know, give him everything that he needs."   
"I'm sorry I left you Jack." I say softly as he gently rubs his hand through the baby's soft brown hair.   
"You had your reasons, I respect that." His voice sounds so far away I doubt that he's very sincere. "Sam, I need to understand something...is he my son?" That was the last question and probably the first question I expected to hear.   
"Yes, of course Jack, I didn't have an affair while we were together, I just didn't know what to do about our careers, and you've worked so hard to get where you are and if they had found out you would have been in worse trouble than I would have been."   
"You didn't have to do that, leave I mean, we could have worked it out, I could have retired again- third time's the charm you know."   
"The SGC needs you, of course I do want you to be involved in Jonathan's life."   
"We could make a life for him, together." He murmurs quietly.   
"You'd still have to answer to the Air Force, love is not all you need sometimes."   
"Come here Sammy, you too Jonathan." He says pulling us into his arms and kissing the side of my head. "I want us to be together, we should be a family and I will take whatever terrible, dirty job I have to and you could either work at any university in the world or stay at home with the baby. I love you both and I will do whatever it takes."   
"Jack, why do you have to make this so hard? There's no way I can turn down a proposal like that. You're not quitting the SGC, I'm sure my Dad can work things out one way or another." He pulls us closer, if possible, and kisses me with a passion I've never experienced before.   
"Woah, sorry guys, didn't know I was intruding." Janet says in the hall.   
  
20JACK:   
We go into the kitchen with Janet where everyone is eating, I get the honour of carrying my sleeping son whose little belly is now full.   
"Dad, Teal'c, Janet, I haven't been entirely honest to you. Jack is Jonathan's father, not just some guy I met at random in Colorado Springs."   
Jacob Carter's eyes go huge and for a minute I think the whole Tok'ra eye glow thing is going to ignite his face.   
"When did this happen?"   
"Dad, this wasn't a one night stand, we were together for four months before I got pregnant."   
"General Carter I am fully prepared to face the consequences of my actions." I sound like some pathetic high school student who got his girlfriend knocked-up.   
"Oh shut up Jack, you've got a family now, so be quiet for a while." Daniel says smiling.   
"You knew about all of this didn't you?"   
"Not when it was actually going on, but we came to suspect, and when I got here Sam told me."   
"The problem now is explaining all of this to the General."   
"Let me handle George." Jacob says taking the baby from me. "Right now I think we should all just play with my grandson and get some rest."   
"Um isn't he a little young to play?" Daniel asks.   
"Well, sleeping is all he does now but soon he'll want to play."   
We continue to speak for a while and soon Sam announces that she's got to go to bed or she's going to pass out. I take Jonathan and lay him down in his crib, I can't believe I'm a father again. We decide that Teal'c and Janet will sleep in Daniel's apartment while Jacob and I stay with Sam.   
"Jack," Sam says to me in the dark after we've crawled shyly into bed together.   
"Yeah Sammy?"   
"You don't owe me anything, if you're here I want you to be happy and not be here because you have to be."   
"I am happy. I've got you and Jonathan and your Dad is going to help us deal with Hammond. And Daniel and Janet are finally going to get together."   
"Huh?"   
"Janet told me she has 'feelings' for Daniel, and I can tell by looking at him that he's just as crazy about her."   
"Daniel told me they haven't gotten together because of his being on SG-1 and the risk of him not coming back."   
"Everyone knows the risks, and that should just be more of a reason for them to be happy, Sam we'll get them together somehow." I pull her against my chest happy to have her to myself once more. "I love you Sam."   
"What?" She sounds half asleep.   
"I said I love you, and I would like to marry you and make a 'real' family."   
"Do you really want to get married again? Not that I'm opposed to the idea..." I take the easiest and most cowardly way out of the situation by silencing her with a kiss.   
"All right, you've made your point, I'll marry you."   
"Do you want to move back to Colorado Springs?"   
"Could we wait a while, until the baby's more than a day old?"   
"Of course, we can take all the time you need." I say. "I'll just call the General tomorrow and get myself put on leave.   
"I know you want to get back to the 'gate, I even miss it myself, but for you one planet is just too much restraint."   
"You know me too well, one day Carter we'll get off world again, together, and maybe some day Jonathan will be able to join us." I do believe she let me ramble on in this fashion for quite some time until I fell asleep having the best dreams I've had in many years and maybe my entire life.   
  
21DANIEL:   
Unlike Sam's apartment which is fully furnished and nicely decorated, my apartment has a bed and a futon. Of course Teal'c and Janet both got assigned to my place so the sleeping arrangements were difficult until Janet stated her intentions of speaking to me. I sent Teal'c to the only furnished bedroom and stated my intention of sleeping on the floor. Once Teal'c was gone Janet threw her arms around me and started murmuring about how much she had missed me; to say I was surprised was and understatement, not that I didn't enjoy it, but it was a good ice breaker I guess. We both took turns telling about everything and we both particularly enjoyed the lectures we had each received from Sam and Jack.   
"They've been unknowingly conspiring against us, haven't they?"   
"Not against us, for us." She says and kisses me.   
The next morning Teal'c wakes us up from our sleeping position on the futon and I swear he's got a smile on his face. We get dressed and head across the hall to Sam's apartment where we find Jack and Jacob, or should I say Selmak? Speaking about explaining everything to General Hammond.   
"Where's Sam?"   
"Feeding Jonathan, she said I was getting annoying and kicked me out of the room." He says with mock hurt.   
"I'll go check on them." Janet says and disappeared down the hall and Teal'c heads into the kitchen to continue his search for edible food that he had not been able to locate in my kitchen.   
"Danny boy you will not believe this, but Sammy and I are gettin' married." Jack says.   
"That's wonderful, when?"   
"Soon, when ever Carter feels up to it, she's kinda worn out right now."   
"Thanks to you, Janet and I have now had 'the talk' and she's requesting leave to stick around here for a while." Jack begins laughing and I swear he's lost it. "What?"   
"Poor Hammond, I'm requesting leave too, Hey Teal'c." He calls getting the Jaffa's attention. "How would you feel about doing a little vacationing on earth?" Teal'c continues eating a bagel and gives Jack a raised eyebrow. "Why don't you call up General Hammond and stay here with the rest of us?   
"I believe I will do that O'Neill."   
"Too bad I can't stay and be part of this, but Tok'ra business calls." Jacob says.   
One week later Sam and Jack exchanged vows along with Janet and me who after much goading from Sam, Jack, Jacob and Selmak, Teal'c, and Cassie- who we had flown out to be with us, decided to take the plunge and get married as well.   
Things were interesting to say the least, Teal'c carried Jonathan around the entire time, gently but looking as of he didn't even notice he carried a child. Both Selmak and Jacob got to preside over the ceremony (yes it was private) and Cassie got the jobs of bride's maid, flower girl, and ring bearer. We all then went out for a nice meal followed by taking Jacob to the airport and seeing him off. My apartment was furnished quickly, by Janet's orders of course, so Cassandra had her own room to sleep in. Teal'c got evicted from my place and ended up getting a one bedroom apartment down the hall- it seems that after our presence the building started to clear out rather quickly.   
  
22GENERAL HAMMOND:   
I think my life has now gone beyond strange. A piece of alien technology that takes you to other planets, I can handle that, my people occasionally getting abducted by aliens that's okay too, but loosing several of my best people to northern California... I'm starting to wonder who or what is out there attracting my people. First it was Major Carter who from her father I found out had moved to California once she'd resigned and Dr. Jackson followed four months later- this I found out when he phoned asking me to contact Jacob Carter. Then Colonel Jack O'Neill, Dr. Fraiser, and Teal'c all headed out together shortly after the Colonel received a similar call from Dr. Jackson. Now I've received three calls requesting leave for at least three months each and now I'm faced with finding a stand-in for my best physician and my second in command. Jacob came back a few days ago, he seemed strangely happy but he got through the 'gate before I could question him properly.   
Now I have to go speak to Captain Lucy Guy about her future in the SGC. She can't go off world as a one-person team and I'm not sure if she will want to remain on world until the rest of her team gets back.   
"Captain," I say stepping into Major Carter's previous lab.   
"General Sir, sorry I could have come to your office."   
"No Captain, I just needed your opinion on something."   
"General?"   
"Captain there is no longer an SG-1, for the time being and I need to make a decision as to what you're going to do." She's surprised to say the least.   
"General, if you don't mind my asking, what happened?"   
"Dr. Jackson, as you know, requested leave quite a few months ago, and Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c have made the same request and they were granted. Dr. Jackson's temporary replacement, Dr. Reilly, has already been sent back to his team. You have the choice of either being sent back to SG-11 or you can remain here and do research."   
"Sir I think I will wait out SG-1 and work on Carter's Reactor." She uses the official congressionally decreed name for the Naqudah reactor.   
"Thank you Captain, if you change your mind be sure to come to me." I leave her and head back to my office to complete the paper work needed for when you've got a secret as big as the SGC. I hope my people come back to me soon and for me not to have to explain too much to the President for the damage they've done when they do.   
  
23SAM:   
I think that there are a lot of people out there who've got no idea exactly how fast and how drastically their lives can change in just a short amount of time. Take me for example- less than a year ago I was a Major in the United States Air Force, my career was on the fast track and I was an accomplished astrophysicist. Well I'm still an accomplished astrophysicist but I'm no longer in the Air Force and somehow I am now a married working, mother and I live in California, not Colorado.   
Oddly enough I like my life now, it's 'normal', okay a little bit repetitive and kind of boring, but Jack and I are together and Jonathan's almost two months old and the picture of health, I am back at work as well as Daniel, Janet is working at the local hospital where Jonathan was born. Teal'c and Jack are now child-care workers taking care of Jonathan and Cassandra- who's out on Christmas vacation.   
A few nights ago we all had dinner together and decided on when we're going to go back to Colorado Springs, the decision was to give ourselves four more months of peace and allow Cassie to finish out the school year here in California. Everyone's pretty happy here, restless yes, but happy none the less- here we don't have to worry about our actions being judged by anyone other than each other; we are an alliance of seven, a conspiracy of seemingly contented normalcy. Why has my speech become so cryptic? I guess because I'm afraid of what my husband might do once he gets back, because though we're in the clear for our current relationship he could still be court-marshalled for our relationship when I was still an officer under his command, I'm not worried about Daniel and Janet's relationship because even though they could face prosecution it would be too much publicity for the Stargate Program because Daniel is a civilian after all and it would be a public trial. Poor Teal'c is so funny when we go out some where and he is attempting to look all big, manly, and Jaffa like until he gets passed the baby and ends up looking like a tender giant. Nathan and his two sons don't spend a lot of their time with me any more because they're always with Jack and Teal'c, I think he's finally getting used to the level of strangeness in my family.   
  
24JACK:   
Six months ago I left Colorado Springs utterly confused as to why I was on my way to California, now we're packing up and our entire family is about to head home. We've hired one moving van to take all three of our apartment's worth of possessions along with Carter and Daniel's car- as it is still being referred to and Janet's car that she, Teal'c, and I drove here in, we're just about ready.   
I smile at my giggling son and say. "Hey Carter no giggling." He just flops over and crawls to the 'real' Carter who is calling him.   
"You're not going to call him Carter too are you?"   
"Jonathan is so long and cumbersome, Carer is nice and short."   
"What do you propose we call him? Not Carter, Jack, or John."   
"Well J.D. or Danny."   
"There's already a Danny in the family." Daniel says as he walks in the front door that the movers had left partially open, ushering in his wife, our beloved Doc, who is now quite visibly pregnant. "You guys are already debating a name change for the poor kid?" He says picking Jonathan up and turns to him smiling. "You're not gonna let Mommy and Daddy change you name, no they won't do it." He goes on getting innocent smiles and giggles from the baby until the movers report that they've completed their task, we are soon joined by Cass and Teal'c who concur that the cars are prepared for our departure as well.   
Seeing as how Sam is the only other member of our group who's ever been pregnant Janet wants to be with her for the ride home, as well as Cassie- who's not pregnant and if she does become so before the reasonable age of 50 then there are a few male types that'll hunt down the responsible guy and hurt him real bad.   
So us four guys had our own car and the three girls of course had their own. Things were going really well until we stopped a few hours later for everyone to eat and Sam decides she doesn't feel like driving any more so the boys lose Teal'c and Jonathan and gain Cassandra. Once we're off again we only stop for Janet to use the bathroom and to change the baby, we stop early that night because Janet's back 'is killing her' and because both kids are tired. Early the next afternoon we're home, to my place at least. The moving van is awaiting us and with everyone's help the least cluttered room is cleared and Jonathan's things are moved in, the rest of the furniture is placed in the garage until we can decide what we want to do with it. After we're done everyone heads to Janet's house to unload everything and then Sam and Daniel go to the grocery store while Teal'c, Janet, Cassie and I attempt to get Jonathan to sleep.   
  
25DANIEL:   
It's good to be home, of course it would be nice if I actually was at home, with my wife, but considering she's five months pregnant and has been in a car for two days she's not too keen on going shopping- even if it is for food. Cass has also abandoned me in favour of calling all of her friends in Colorado and California.   
Of course Sam and I aren't in the grocery store 15 minutes before we're recognised... by Captain Lucy Guy.   
"Hey Daniel, uh Carter, I didn't know you were together...uh back I mean." She says nervously.   
"We don't really have time to explain right now but I'm sure you'll be hearing about it around the base tomorrow." I say and we hurriedly finish our shopping and get back home to our families. That sounds so strange, just a few years ago I was blissfully happy married to Sha'uri and now I am going to be a father and I'm more than happy married to Janet, not to mention Cassandra who I love as a daughter, another thing that's strange is that both Jack and Sam seem to have gotten their heads on straight- I've never seen them get along better.   
"Hey Carter, let's say we take the little one and head on home?" Jack says as we enter, Teal'c is holding the 'little one' in question and both Cass and Janet are nowhere to be seen. We agree to meet the next day at a local restaurant for breakfast, they leave Teal'c with us and after I'm done putting away the groceries I go in search of my wife, finding her asleep I turn off the lights she left on and go to Cassandra's room which through the open door I can hear her talking animatedly on the telephone.   
"Did you need me Daniel?"   
"I'm going to bed, you need anything?"   
"No, I'm fine, good night."   
"Night Cass." I say and head back to the room where Janet is sleeping peacefully, I lay down and wrap my arms around my wife.   
26SAM:   
I'm more nervous about tomorrow than I ever thought possible. The idea of facing Hammond with the truth is almost as, if not more, scary than facing my father. I know that the entire team is going to be judged by Jack and my actions and because of that not only is Jack's career in jeopardy but Janet's as well and Teal'c and Daniel's positions in the SGC could be questioned.   
"Mamamama" Jonathan blabbers drawing my attention back to the bath I'm supposed to be giving him. Jack walks in and gives us both a kiss.   
"Not getting too far?"   
"I got distracted, thinking about tomorrow."   
"Come on Carter, this is Hammond we're going to see. And," He says taking the baby from me. "This irresistible little one is going to be there to protect you."   
"I highly doubt that someone who can barely crawl and is still in diapers could do much to protect any of us."   
"Mommy doesn't think you're strong enough, " He goes on finally speaking to me. "Why don't you go make sure our bed is sleepable, and I'll finish up here and put him to bed?"   
"Okay." I kiss him and then quickly move out in fear of the water that I know will soon cover the bathroom and most definitely Jack as well.   
Of course the sheets on his bed are covered with a layer of dust so I strip them off and replace them with sheets from one of the boxes from California. Soon Jack joins me, soaking wet, and begins demonstrations of a romantic nature, everything is going quite splendidly until Jonathan lets out a wail.   
"For cryin' out loud, ignore him." Jack whispers in my ear.   
"Normally I would, but this is a new place to him, he's probably scared." I hop out of bed and pull on the robe I have vacated some time earlier.   
"I knew we should have stayed in California." Jack whines good-naturedly following me into the baby's new room. "Hey boy, whatcha cryin' for? Your Mommy and I were in the middle of something." He says while I hold up the now giggling child. I just laugh and hide my face behind Jonathan.   
The next morning I awaken to Jack's face staring at me over the body of our angelic looking son. "Shh...don't wake the sleeping monster." He whispers.   
"The wonderful joys of parenting." I mutter as I slowly stand up and check the clock. "We're supposed to meet the guys...and Janet." Jack interrupts me.   
"Oh I think she qualifies as one of the guys now."   
"In an hour and a half." I finish. Jonathan opens his eyes, rolls over and crawls up onto his father's chest.   
"It's alive." Jack announces in typical science-fiction fashion.   
"I'm going down to make coffee, I'll be back to provide nutrition soon, why don't you get him dressed...some thing cute and endearing." I say and head down the stairs smiling to myself at the look that was on my husband's face.   
  
27JACK:   
Jonathan's sitting on my stomach patting my chest happily. "Whatcha doin'?" I ask and lift him up in the air. "Come on we'd better get you dressed before your mother gets back." We head to his bedroom and I open the first box I come to labelled clothes. "Lets see here... cute and endearing?" I set him down in the crib and continue searching through the boxes. " What do you think? Green of blue, of course we also have this lovely yellow ensemble as well." He just starts blabbering and banging a toy against the side of the bed. "Green dinosaurs, my thoughts exactly. Not exactly cute and endearing but you don't need clothes for that, you'll charm everyone in the SGC, especially General Hammond." I say and change his diaper and clothe him.   
"Why don't you get dressed, I can take it from here." Carter says coming into the room, I see that she has already dressed and there's something about her that I haven't seen since before she left the SGC.   
Soon we're ready to walk out the door, I buckle Jonathan into his car seat and get in the driver's seat, we arrive at the restaurant before Teal'c, Danny, and Doc. "Well I'm ready to go home, how about you?"   
"Come on Sam, the General is no scarier than Apophis or anything we saw with Sokar."   
"Oh I don't know about that." She mutters as Daniel, Janet, and Teal'c come through the doors.   
"Sorry we're late guys, we had to drop Cassandra off at her friend Yuri's." Amazingly the six of us all fit into a booth and soon we're hungrily attempting to stuff our faces.   
"I wonder if I'll be able to fit into the elevator." Janet says as we leave the restaurant and get back into our vehicles.   
"You're not that big Janet, just wait a couple of months, you'll probably be wishing for these days." Sam says.   
"I'll probably be wishing I had gone on the pill when I had the chance." Daniel helps her into the car looking sheepish. My wife continues to speak with Janet while Teal'c secures Jonathan in his seat and, of course, Daniel and I, aspiring husbands, both on our second marriages, just stand around thinking at each other wondering what effect the coming meeting would have on our families.   
Finally we're on our way headed for the base, getting through security is easy, most people that see us are just too stunned to think. Sam is carrying Jonathan and walking next to me with Daniel and Janet behind us with Teal'c bringing up the rear, we look like we're going into battle...well except for the baby. We walk through the corridors proudly, Jonathan looking content and occasionally smiling at the strange people we pass in the hallways. To my son this is all a social encounter; he can't even begin to grasp what is really going on as we continue our long walk to Hammond's office.   
  
28DANIEL:   
I grab Janet's hand as we enter the control room, she glances over at me and gives me an encouraging smile   
"Colonel O'Neill, I didn't know you were back." Hammond says to Jack as he precedes everyone into the room.   
"Uh General Sir, request a uh meeting in your office." Jack says causing Jonathan to give a little giggle.   
"Sure follow me." He says noticing for the first time that the rest of us are there.   
"Colonel please explain." He says after we have lined up in his office with him pacing in front of us.   
"Sir we're back? And I take full responsibility for the actions of those under my command and those who used to be." He scrutinises all of us, he raises his eyebrows at Janet and then moves on to Sam, or more specifically Jonathan.   
"Congratulations Major, I assume this is why your father was so happy when he left? Well what's his name?"   
"Jonathan Sir." She swallows as Hammond's head snaps in Jacks direction.   
"Yes, Sir." He answers the unasked question. "Sam and I both cared more for each other than we should have and we had a completely unprofessional relationship, and I take full responsibility."   
"Colonel, don't think we're going to jump right to the court-martial, why don't you tell me the rest?"   
"Well we're married." He says sheepishly. "And so are Daniel and Doc Fraiser."   
"Congratulations Major, Dr. Jackson." It takes a couple of seconds for me to realise the 'Major' he's referring to is Janet.   
"Thank you Sir." We both murmur and breathe deep as he moves on to Teal'c.   
"I have done nothing...I believe I was just along for the ride." He says unemotionally but with a hint of arrogance only Teal'c can display.   
"Okay so...by any chance can Sam have her job back? Not as a Major of course, but as a scientist, like Daniel, only different."   
"Colonel I'll have to take some time to think over your actions and what the effect of those actions will be on the SGC. Now everyone is dismissed, Carter please stay here."   
Teal'c nicely holds the door open until Janet and I shuffle out followed by Jack who makes an attempt at taking his son from his wife before embracing them both quickly and then nearly running out the door as if he were being chased.   
  
29SAM:   
The door to Hammond's office shuts and it is then that I really look around and notice that where there used to be a glass partition there is now a typical set of closed window blinds.   
Okay so maybe I should have let Jack take Jonathan, but you can't blame a girl for wanting a living, breathing security blanket. Hammond inspects the baby in my arms for a moment before smiling at him and receiving an answering smile from my son.   
"Is this the reason you left?"   
"Yes Sir, I couldn't let Jack give up his career and everything else he had worked for because we made a bad decision."   
"A bad decision? You're happy now aren't you? You have a loving husband, an endearing child." I can't help but give a small giggle at his description of Jonathan. "Do you really care how hard it was for you to get where you are now?"   
"No Sir, I guess not."   
"Then welcome back Major, that is if you still want to be here."   
"But Sir, it can't be that easy, I resigned."   
"Maybe. But somehow the paperwork got lost and it was never processed." He says smugly.   
"Court-martials?" I ask quietly.   
"It has been deemed that I have final say in such matters and I believe that your behaviour was, at all times, purely of a professional nature while you were on duty; unless you'd like to correct me Major?"   
"No Sir."   
"Well then Major as long as that behaviour remains professional and I see no favouritism between your commanding officer and yourself over your team-mates not based on your legitimate merits, you can resume your position as second in command of SG-1, when ever you choose to do so.   
"Thank you sir." I say unconsciously changing the arm that supports my son.   
"May I hold him?"   
"Of course Sir." I hand Jonathan over and Hammond proceeds to make a spectacle of himself playing and baby talking to the small child in his arms.   
"Major, why don't you go speak with Colonel O'Neill, the two of us will be all right here."   
"Uh Yes Sir." I nervously walk out of his office and am alone. "Excuse me, d his arms.   
"Major, why don't you go speak with Colonel O'Neill, the two of us will be all right here."   
"Uh Yes Sir." I nervously walk out of his office and am alone. "Excuse me, do you know where Colonel O'Neill is?" I ask the first person I pass.   
"The commissary." Is the answer and that's the direction I head.   
Walking through the corridors brings back a minute fragment of my former self, not something I'm too afraid of getting back to, I really hope Jack is happy about Hammond's uh... offer. I think he'll jump for joy when he finds out we can be the old SG-1 again, because I know I want to.   
"Uh Sam, where's our son?" He asks as I walk up to 'our' old table.   
"Well I'm not 100% positive what's really going on but I'm getting the feeling that he is Hammond's hostage until we make a final decision.   
"Huh?"   
"I never 'officially' resigned, the paperwork was convientily misplaced, he wants me back in my former position on SG-1 and he expects our behaviour on-duty to be as professional as always."   
"I could go for that." He says jumping up from his seat and embracing me causing, of course, many heads to turn. "Later."   
"Well we're a team again aren't we?" Daniel asks excitedly.   
"Yes Daniel Jackson, I believe General Hammond's taking a hostage changed everything."   
"Why don't we go get your son?" Janet says shoving something into her mouth.   
"Sounds good to me." Jack sets me back on my feet. "Lead on Major, we've got to get this rescue operation underway." And it was.   
  
30JACK:   
Two years ago I began an inappropriate relationship with one of my subordinates, of course that eventually culminated in a child and our marriage.   
SG-1 has been SG-1 again for six months now and I don't think we've ever worked better as a team; all of that sexual tension is now gone and if it ever rears its head that problem is easily remedied. As for the team dynamic- well despite Daniel's brief absence for the birth of his daughter, Samantha Teal'c Jackson, a couple of months ago, we've been a wonderful team and now that we're all parents we've got some stories to share. Who would have thought Teal'c had stories about diaper changes?   
Sam and I have decided we would eventually like to have another child, but right now one is more than enough. Captain Lucy Guy is dating, of all people, Lt. Simmions and she has even been given the place as second in command on a new SG team.   
So things around the base have changed a lot, but they've also stayed the same, I don't think that I would change any of it because these last two years have shown me that even though I've screwed up in the past there are always people around willing to give me a kick in the ass to get myself in gear and get everything back on track. Also I love my wife more than anything in the world and she gave me the chance to be a father again.   
The world may be changing but some things while not always staying the same will always be good. Things like having a family to love and care for and that loves and cares for you and friends that you can trust. And of course there's always the aliens on other planets to liven up the peaceful domestic setting and of course the extended family sharing their bodies with parasitic little worms that definitely liven up any family gathering...yeah we're a hoot.   
Life is definitely not boring, especially when I get back on my own planet and go home to my one year-old son, he makes war look like nap time.   
El FIN!!   
Well that's it....Please send feedback!!!!!   
  



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